APPLE LAUNCHES SMALLER & CHEAPER 9.7 INCH IPAD PRO

Apple just announced the successor to the iPad Air 2 during its press conference in Cupertino. This isn’t a new iPad Air, it’s a smaller iPad Pro. And the company is calling it iPad Pro.

“We believe that iPad is the perfect expression of the future of computing,” Tim Cook said on stage before Phil Schiller introduced the new iPad.

The iPad Air 2 was released in October 2014 so today’s new iPad is a big upgrade. It still features a 9.7-inch display, but everything else is new.

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro comes with the same processor as its bigger sibling: the A9X. On the photography front, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro sports a 12-megapixel iSight camera with Focus Pixels, True Tone Flash, new image signal processor. On the front side, there's a 5-megapixel FaceTime camera. It is worth noting that these camera sensors are same as the iPhone 6s from last year. The iPad Pro also supports Live Photos.

The 9-7-inch iPad Pro is priced at $599 for the 32GB variant, $749 for the 128GB model, and $899 for the 256GB variant - (all are Wi-Fi variants). No cellular or LTE variant pricing has been provided. It comes in four colour options including Rose Gold.

Apple SVP Phil Schiller noted at the event that the company has sold more than 200 million 9.7-inch iPad tablets. There are more than one million iPad apps in the App Store.

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro will be available to order beginning Thursday on March 24 from Apple.com, and through select carriers and Apple Authorised Resellers on March 31, in Australia, Canada, China (Wi-Fi models only), France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the UK, US Virgin Islands, and the US.

Comes in silver, space gray, gold and (for the first time ever) rose gold.

Pricing & Availability

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro comes in silver, space gray, gold and a new rose gold metallic finish, and starts at $599 (US) for the 32GB with Wi-Fi model and $729 (US) for the 32GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model. Both iPad Pro sizes are available in offerings of 32GB, 128GB and a new 256GB capacity, the highest of any iOS device. For more information, please visit www.apple.com/ipad.

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro will be available to order beginning Thursday, March 24, from Apple.com, and in Apple’s retail stores, through select carriers and Apple Authorized Resellers on Thursday, March 31, in Australia, Canada, China (Wi-Fi models only), France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the UK, US Virgin Islands and the US.

Apple Pencil is available for $99 (US) and Smart Keyboard in charcoal gray for $149 (US). The Polyurethane iPad Pro Smart Cover and Silicone Cases for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro are available for $49 (US) and $69 (US), respectively, in a range of new vibrant colors.

Every customer who buys an iPad Pro from Apple will be offered free Personal Setup, in-store or online, to help them customize their iPad Pro by setting up email, showing them new apps from the App Store® and more.

Anyone who wants to learn more about the new iPad Pro or iOS 9 can register for the free workshops offered at every Apple Store®.